Charles Bediako, the Alabama Crimson Tide, and the NCAA have put forth an interesting debate as to the eligibility of players. The NCAA denied Alabama’s internal request to grant Bediako eligibility to return to the men’s college basketball program from the NBA G-League. However, the Motor City Cruise star challenged the decision in court and was granted a TRO against it.

The Alabama Crimson Tide fielded Charles Bediako immediately after being granted a TRO against the NCAA’s denial, with the center playing in two games so far. Alabama ended up losing on Bediako’s debut, but recorded a 26-point win over Missouri. However, court documents have revealed that the hearing on the TRO for preliminary injunction has been rescheduled to February 6.

This means that Bediako will be further eligible for two more games as Alabama faces Florida and Texas A&M. However, his subsequent availability will depend on the result of the hearing, which means the Men’s College Basketball program could play Auburn without their new center.

Bediako’s return was a little underwhelming as he played 25 minutes but failed to inspire Alabama to a win over Tennessee. However, the 23-year-old looked much more in his element against the Missouri Tigers, scoring 14 points in just 18 minutes and proving to be a much more dominant figure in the paint.

This case has been the talk of the entire college basketball community. While many experts pointed fingers at Alabama, Head Coach Nate Oats, and even the court, a rare few have also come out in support of the move, shifting the blame onto the governing body and highlighting that the programs are bound to exploit gray areas to build a winning team.

“Our job as coaches is to play within the rules, or lack thereof, that have been set by the NCAA … and they found a gray area to get a guy who was there a couple of years ago reinstated,” said Auburn head coach Steven Pearl.

The Charles Bediako hearing will have a new judge

A lot of information came out on Judge James “Jim” Roberts after he granted Bediako the TRO against the NCAA’s decision. Judge Roberts was revealed to be on the active donor list of the Crimson Tide Foundation and a guest lecturer at the University as well. He has since recused himself from the case after the NCAA’s motion to do so. This means the hearing will have a new judge at the helm.

The hearing has since been pushed to February 6 because of inclement weather, and after Judge Roberts extended the TRO by 10 days because of ‘good cause’. In fact, the NCAA filed a motion to recuse Judge Roberts after the extension was decided. Interestingly, while Judge Roberts is connected to the Alabama Crimson Tide, he is the only judge in the Tuscaloosa Circuit Court who did not attend the University of Alabama as a student.

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The NCAA likely feels wronged, both with the TRO and the subsequent extension, and the affiliation has already raised a lot of questions around the whole case. The recusal should provide a more neutral ground for the NCAA. Although they will now have to be satisfied with whoever sits at the hearing, with almost a guarantee that the said person would also be connected to the University of Alabama.